Machine fob stbaiokhtening knife-blades



UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEioE.

HIRAM PIERCE, OF CLAREMONT, NEV HAMPSHIRE.

MACHINE FOR STRAIGHTENING KNIFE-BLADES.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 17,634, dated June 23, 1857.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HIEAM PIERCE, of Claremont, in the county ofSullivan and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Machinery for Straightening Knife-Blades; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and eXactdescription of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawingand to letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention relates to improvements in the dies usually employed, inconjunction with a drop weight, for straightening knife blades, andconsists in so arranging the upper or lowei` die, or both, as to beselfadjusting, thereby allowing the faces of the two dies to accommodatethemselves to the tapering form of the blades.

Myinvention has for its aim the straightening of blades and imparting totheir bolsters and tangs, their roper form and position, and thiswithout t e necessity of submitting the blades to more than one heat.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to make and use myinvention, I will now proceed to describe its construction andoperation.

On reference to the drawing which forms a part of this specification,Figure 1 is a front elevation of a machine for straightening knifeblades with my improvements on the same. Fi 2, an edge view; Figs. 3 and4 sectiona vviews drawn to an enlarged scale and illustrating the modeof rendering the up er die self adjusting.

Simi ar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

A is the base of the machine to which are secured the two guides orpillars B and Bl connected together at the top by the crossbar C.

D is a drop weight guided by the pillars B and B and suspended to a bandE which is attached to and arranged to be wra ped around the pulley F,the latter being lbose on the shaft G which turns in boxes a, a, securedto the pillars. On the same shaft G is a clutch having projectionsadapted to recesses in the face of the pulley F. This clutch is arrangedto slide freely on the shaft but not to turn independently of the same.

I is a bell crank lever turning a pin attached to the column B, the bentarm of the lever terminating in a projection which iits between thecollars on the clutch H and the straight arm of the lever beingconnected to the rod J which iskarran ed to slide in guides attached tothe pillar On the rod J are secured an upper catch b, and lower catch c,both being so situated as to be struckrby a bar d, attached to andprojecting from the drop weight D.

K is a spring treadle jointed to the base A and connected by means of arod L to the lever M which passes through the pillar B, and has itsfulcrum on a inattached to the same, the point of the ever projecting ashort distance from the inside of the pillar. j

N is a crosshead, secured to the two pillars and in this crossheadslides the rod O which is furnished at the top with a collar e, andbetween the latter and the top of the cross-head intervening a spiralspring f. The rod O is furnished with another collar 7L below which itterminates in the spherical end g one-half of the latter, fitting into ahemispherical recess in the plate i, in which position it is retained bythe upper plate j. To the plate t is secured the upper die P and to thebase late another die Q both dies having steel aces, adapted to theblades to be straightened, and having suitable recesses c for thebolster d of the blade R. The pins r attached to the lower die, serve asguides' for the upper die. A strap from any adjacent shaft being appliedto a pulley S on the shaft Gr so that the latter may revolve in thedirection of the arrow, the band E is wound around the pulley F, withwhich the clutch H is now in gear, and consequently the weight D iselevated until the projection d strikes the catch b when the rod J israised and the bell crank lever I so moved as to throw the clutch H outof gear from the pulley I when the latter can turn freel on the shaft GVand the weight D may fall it is however retained by the point of thelever M until the attendant presses down the spring treadle, when theweight is released, and falling strikes the top of the rod O therebysubmitting the heated blade R to the percussion imparted to the upperdie. Simultaneously with the dropping of the weight, the projection dstruck the inclined catch on the rod J, the descent of which had movedthe lever I so as to throw the clutch H in gear with the pulley F,consequently as the shaft continues to revolve the Weight will be raisedas before, preparatory to being again caused to fall by operating thetreadle. As the Weight is raised from contact With the rod O the spiralspring elevates the said rod and With it the upper die to a heightlimited by the collar h. The heated blade R is submitted to a series ofsuch percussions until it be'- comes perfectly straight7 and until itsbolster and tang assume the required form and position. In thusrendering the u per die adjustable by means of the spherica end of therod O, the above object is attained Without constantly re-heating theblade which has hitherto been a matter of necessity and consequent causeof delay in former contrivances used for eecting the saine purose. p Ido not desire to claim the devices for raising and dropping the Weight,and I do lLetters Patent is:

The ein loyment in conjunction with a drop Weig t of self adjusting diesin the manner, and for the purpose herein set forth.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my naine to this specificationbefore tWo subscribing Witnesses.

HIRAM HEROE.'

Witnesses:

CHAs. BARDWELL, Oris F.'R. VVAITE.V

